Propelled by a unanimous approval from the Michigan Public Service Commission, Forsite Development is preparing to buy two shuttered coal power plants from Michigan’s Consumers Energy: the B.C. Cobb plant in Muskegon and J.R. Whiting plant in Luna Pier.

Forsite estimates the decommissioning work at each plant will take approximately two years. It partnered with Midland, Michigan-based Bierlein Companies to perform all asbestos abatement and conduct demolition for both plants while Austin, Texas-based Energy Renewal Partners, LLC will manage decommissioning and remediation.

SunEast Development, Enel Green Energy and Energy Renewal Partners are planning the project together under Marengo Solar LLC. The $25 million to $30 million development plan calls for about 60,000 solar panels on the site, which is close to a large ComEd substation, said Reed Willis of SunEast Development.

State Rep. John Pfeiffer, who was the keynote speaker at the event, said, "Wind energy is progressive and beneficial to the economy of Oklahoma. I'm grateful to companies like Duke Energy Renewables that are unlocking the potential of this important resource to the benefit of our state."

The facility located just east of Blackwell, Oklahoma, is expected to generate enough "emission-free" energy to power about 60,000 average-sized homes.

Each of the 203-foot-long turbine blades, sitting atop 287-foot-tall steel posts, will harness the power of winds which average 16 mph. Duke Energy chose the 11-mile-long Blackwell site because the wind is almost always blowing there, typically from the south or southwest. The massive turbines will start to spin in as little as 6 mph of wind.

Wind turbines produce no greenhouse gas emissions however the spinning blades are a threat to birds and bats.

Wind energy obviously has a lot of great environmental benefits, but Jeff Neves likes to think of it as another kind of green energy, the vice president of Amshore US Wind LLC said at the OSU Energy Conference on Wednesday while flashing a slide featuring a $100 bill in front of the audience.

“We got into this because we feel like it’s a very worthwhile investment,” Neves said.

On flat farmland east of this small Oklahoma town, 61 of the country’s largest wind turbines are quickly rising above fields of wheat and milo. Each 203-foot-long blade will sweep an arc through the sky almost 500 feet above the ground, grabbing energy from winds that average 16 mph at that height.

CPS Energy further solidified itself as a solar leader in Texas and among the top seven nationwide this month by signing a new power purchase agreement (PPA) for 50 megawatts (MW) with New Energy Economy partner, OCI Solar Power. This new contract is in addition to a previous mega solar, economic development and PPA brokered in 2012 for 400 MW that established a solar manufacturing hub in San Antonio.

One of the largest solar power plants in the state and the world is coming to West Texas. The plant is currently under construction in Bakersfield, Texas. The new project is called Alamo 6 and it's expected to bring over 250 jobs to Pecos County.

San Antonio-based OCI Solar Power LLC is announcing the start of construction on the 110-megawatt (MW) Alamo 6 solar plant located in Pecos County, Texas. Once constructed, this will be the largest solar plant in Texas and one of the largest dual-axis solar projects in the world.

PowerFin Texas Solar Projects, LLC ("Powerfin"), a solar development firm based in Austin and San Antonio, recently executed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for the sale of up to 3.2 megawatts of solar electricity to Austin Energy. This is the first project of a much larger Community Solar program, the goal of which is to provide more equitable access to solar throughout the community while generating significant local economic benefits. The contemplated site of the initial Community Solar project is in an economic redevelopment area in east downtown Austin.

More than 88,000 acres of ranchland full of mesquite trees and brush in Starr County will be transformed into what local leaders hope will be the largest wind turbine project within a single county in Texas.

Duke Energy Renewables will build a three-site solar energy project in North Carolina that its designer says will be the largest east of the Mississippi, and will sell the power to institutions in Washington DC.

In December, the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners approved a new find farm slated for Calhan, Colo. Wind farms have been purported as a viable alternative energy source, but they are not without controversy; and one issue involves the turbines' impact on wildlife.